Flexural Performance of CFRP-Bamboo Scrimber Composite Beams

This study presents a new structure made up of bamboo scrimber and carbon fiber reinforced polymer(CFRP)to address the low stiffness and strength of bamboo scrimbers.Three-point bending test and finite element model were conducted to study the failure mode,strain-displacement relationship,load-displacement relationship and relationships between strain distribution,contact pressure and deflection,and adhesive debonding.The results indicated that the flexural modulus and static flexural strength of the composite beams were effectively increased thanks to the CFRP sheets.The flexural modulus of the composite specimens were 2.33-2.94 times that of bamboo scrimber beams,and the flexural strength were 1.49-1.58 times that of bamboo scrimber beams.Adhesive debonding had a great influence on the strain distribution and deflection of the composite specimens.It was an important factor for the failure of the CFRP-bamboo scrimber composite specimens.According to the finite element simulation,the strain distribution,contact pressure and deflection also greatly changed with the adhesive debonding.After complete peeling,the deflection of the specimen was 3.09 times that of the unpeeled because it was no longer an integral beam.

Experimental and numerical investigation of the flexural performance of channel steel-bolt joint for prefabricated subway stations

Flexural performance of joints is critical for prefabricated structures.This study presents a novel channel steel-bolt(CB)joint for prefabricated subway stations.Full-scale tests are carried out to investigate the flexural behavior of the CB joint under the design loads of the test-case station.In addition,a three dimensional(3D)finite element(FE)model of the CB joint is established,incorporating viscous contact to simulate the bonding and detachment behaviors of the interface between channel steel and concrete.Based on the 3D FE model,the study examines the flexural bearing mechanism and influencing factors for the flexural performance of the CB joint.The results indicate that the flexural behavior of the CB joint exhibits significant nonlinear characteristics,which can be divided into four stages.To illustrate the piecewise linearity of the bending moment-rotational angle curve,a four-stage simplified model is proposed,which is easily applicable in engineering practice.The study reveals that axial force can enhance the flexural capacity of the CB joint,while the preload of the bolt has a negligible effect.The flexural capacity of the CB joint is approximate twice the value of the designed bending moment,demonstrating that the joint is suitable for the test-case station.

Constructing quasi-vertical fiber bridging behaviors of aramid pulp at interlayer of laminated basalt fiber reinforced polymer composites to improve flexural performances

Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer(BFRP)composites have huge potential application respects for some civil fields due to enough strength/modulus to weight and low cost by replacing carbon fiber composites.Aiming at the issues in the Resin-Rich Region(RRR)and Interfacial Transition Region(ITR)of fiber reinforced polymer composites,the characteristic Aramid Pulp(AP)fibers with micro-fiber trunk and nano-fiber branches were manufactured into multiple non-woven ultra-thin interleaving at the interlayers of BFRP composites via compression molding to reinforce the flexural strengths and elastic moduli.AP fibers were introduced into RRR to form interleaving at the interlayer,the brittle epoxy adhesive layer was improved and enabled to avoid cracking under a low external load.Free fiber branches of AP were also embedded into BF layer to construct quasi-vertical fiber bridging behaviors in ITR,stronger mechanical interlocking was created to prevent crack propagation along the bonding interface of BF/epoxy.Three-point bending testing results showed the interleaving film with 4 g/m^(2)AP exhibited the best effect among various areal densities and yielded average 315.75 MPa in flexural strength and 21.38 GPa in elastic modulus,having a 63.4%increment and a 47.1%increment respectively compared with the bases.Overall,the simple and low-cost AP interleaving is confirmed as an effective method in improving interlayer structure and flexural performance of BFRP composites,which may be considered to manufacture high-performance laminated fiber reinforced polymer composites in civil aviation industry.

Experimental Study on the Static and Fatigue Performance of Corroded RC Beams Strengthened with AFRP Sheets

In order to research the strengthening effects of aramid fiber reinforced polymer （AFRP） sheets on the flexural performance of corroded reinforced concrete （RC） beams, the static and fatigue performance of corroded RC beams strengthened with non-prestressed AFRP sheets under different degrees of corrosion （minor： reinforcement mass loss is 2.0%, medium： reinforcement mass loss is 6.0%） have been researched experimentally in this paper, to compare with that of the control beams （un-strengthened and un-corroded） and un-strengthened corroded beams, and additionally compare with fatigue performance of those medium corroded RC beams strengthened with prestressed AFRP sheets with permanent anchors. The results show that, （1） compared with un-strengthened corroded beams under the same degrees of corrosion, the cracking, yield and ultimate monotonic loads of the minor corroded RC beam strengthened with non-prestressed AFRP sheets is respectively increased by 20%, 27% and 60%, whereas for the medium corroded RC beam strengthened with non-prestressed AFRP sheets increased by 15%, 36% and 83% respectively. The ultimate deflection of the medium corroded beam strengthened with non-prestressed AFRP sheets is 166% larger than that of the corroded un-strengthened beam under the monotonic load. （2） The fatigue life of the non-prestressed AFRP strengthened medium corroded beam is 10.4 times more than that of the un-strengthened corroded beam, but lower than that of the unstrengthened-uncorroded （virgin） beam. （3） Fatigue experiments of the beams strengthened with prestressed AFRP sheets and with those non-prestressed AFRP sheets show that the fatigue life of the retrofit RC beams increase with increasing prestress level of AFRP sheets.（4） The use of AFRP sheets for strengthening corroded RC beams is an efficient technique that can maintain the structural integrity and enhance the structural behavior of such beams.

A Mini Review on Natural Fiber Honeycomb (NFH) Sandwiched Structure Composite: Flexural Perfomance Perspective

Natural Fiber Honeycomb (NFH) sandwiched structure composite is a type of composite that uses natural fiber as the reinforcement material and honeycomb structure in the form of a sandwich panel. The demand for commercial use of natural fiber-based composites is increasing in the past few years in many industrial sectors. The increase in popularity of natural fibers is because of their particular properties, price, health benefits, and recyclability. This paper aims to analyze the data and analysis of the past research about NFH sandwiched structure composite in terms of the materials used to make the NFH, the physical and mechanical properties, and their applications. Based on the literature review conducted, there were many types of materials used to make the NFH sandwiched structure composite. Some experimental tests were planned and conducted to analyze the mechanical properties of the NFH and its potential to be used in the desired industries. However, there are not many implementations of NFH composite in the construction industry. This is due to the concern related to the issue of the structural integrity of the NFH composite. From the literature review conducted, most of the research shows a positive analysis of the mechanical properties and the potential of the developed NFH to be used for the targeted industry in the study. Therefore, it can be observed that the material used in this study has a high potential to be used in the construction industry.

Flexural behavior of in-plane bending glass structures for design method

Experimental study was carried out on the in-plane bending behavior of glass plates without lateral supports, and the effects of the factors, such as height-to-span ratio, on the stability of glass panels were studied. Results show that the in-plane bending glass plates with both ends simply supported and their upper edge free lose overall stability under loads, which belongs to the limit-point type of instability. It is found that the buckling load increases linearly with the increase of height-to-span ratio of the glass plates. The lateral stress of in-plane bending glass plates without lateral supports increases linearly under loads; while the large-area stress increases nonlinearly and the lateral stress is not the controlling factor of instability. In finite element analysis, the first buckling mode is regarded as the initial imperfection and imposed on the model as 1/1000 of the span of the components. The numerical buckling load according to the theory of large deflection is less than the experiment result, which is more conservative and can provide some reference for design. For the design method, when the in-plane load is imposed on the glass plate, its lateral strength and the deflection should be verified. Considering the stability of the in-plane bending glass plate without reliable lateral support, buckling is another possible failure mode and calls for verification.

Bending,Compression and Bonding Performance of Cross-Laminated Timber(CLT)Made from Malaysian Fast-Growing Timbers

This study investigated the bending,compression as well as the bonding performance of CLT panels made from fast-growing timber species,i.e.,Laran(Neolamarckia cadamba)and Batai(Paraserianthes falcataria).The variables studied were timber species(Laran and Batai),layers of lamination(3-layer and 5-layer),loading direction in bending(in-plane and out-of-plane),loading direction in compression(x-,y-,and z-axis)and different treatment conditions for bonding performance test.The desired outputs of this study were bending and compression properties(strength and stiffness)as well as bonding performance(block shear strength,wood failure percentage and delamination value).The bending and compression test were conducted according to EN16351:2015 and EN408:2012,respectively.On the other hand,the bonding performance test was determined by block shear and delamination test based on EN16351:2015 and EN14374:2004,respectively.Prior to block shear test,the samples were subjected to three different treatment conditions.The results showed that CLT made from 3-layer Laran timber,loaded at out-of-plane direction exhibited the highest bending properties.Contrarily,CLT made from 5-layered Batai timber,loaded at in-plane direction showed the lowest bending properties.Laran samples for compression loaded at x-axis exhibited the best compressive properties.Generally,Laran CLT showed greater bonding performance determined by shear test compared to Batai CLT for both 3-and 5-layer panels.On the contrary,delamination results showed that Batai CLT demonstrated better bonding performance compared to Laran CLT.In terms of bonding performance measured by wood failure percentage(WFP),most samples under various treatment conditions showed WFP≥80%except for samples under wet condition with WFP≤60%.

Flexural and longitudinal shear performance of precast lightweight steel-ultra-high performance concrete composite beam

In this study,the flexural and longitudinal shear performances of two types of precast lightweight steel–ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC)composite beams are investigated,where a cluster UHPC slab(CUS)and a normal UHPC slab(NUS)are connected to a steel beam using headed studs through discontinuous shear pockets and full-length shear pockets,respectively.Results show that the longitudinal shear force of the CUS is greater than that of the NUS,whereas the interfacial slip of the former is smaller.Owing to its better integrity,the CUS exhibits greater flexural stiffness and a higher ultimate bearing capacity than the NUS.To further optimize the design parameters of the CUS,a parametric study is conducted to investigate their effects on the flexural and longitudinal shear performances.The square shear pocket is shown to be more applicable for the CUS,as the optimal spacing between two shear pockets is 650 mm.Moreover,a design method for transverse reinforcement is proposed;the transverse reinforcement is used to withstand the splitting force caused by studs in the shear pocket and prevent the UHPC slab from cracking.According to calculation results,the transverse reinforcement can be canceled when the compressive strength of UHPC is 150 MPa and the volume fraction of steel fiber exceeds 2.0%.

Research on mechanical performance of longitudinal joints in segmental tunnel linings strengthened by fiber-reinforced plastic grid with polymer−cement−mortar method

In this study,we propose the use of a fiber-reinforced plastic grid with polymer−cement−mortar(FRP Grid-PCM)to reinforce segment joints in tunnel shield linings.These joints play a crucial role in determining bearing capacity but are vulnerable to deterioration during operation.To investigate how to enhance the flexural performance of longitudinal shield lining joints,we built eccentric short column specimens by bolting two half-corbel columns together and tested them in the laboratory.The test program comprised two control specimens and three strengthened specimens with FRP grid applied on one side,away from the axial load.The tests varied two main parameters:loading eccentricity and the number of FRP grid layers.We conducted a detailed analysis of the failure process,bearing capacity,and bending stiffness of longitudinal joints under different conditions.Furthermore,we developed an analytical model to predict the flexural bearing capacity of longitudinal joints upgraded with the FRP Grid-PCM method and validated it through experimental results.The research demonstrates that the FRP grid effectively reduces joint opening and rotation angles while enhancing the bearing capacity of the short column,particularly with concurrent increases in loading eccentricity and the number of FRP grid layers.Overall,our findings offer a novel alternative for improving the flexural performance of longitudinal joints in shield tunnels.

Structural performance of a façade precast concrete sandwich panel enabled by a bar-type basalt fiber-reinforced polymer connector

In this study,a novel diagonally inserted bar-type basalt fiber reinforced polymer(BFRP)connector was proposed,aiming to achieve both construction convenience and partially composite behavior in precast concrete sandwich panels(PCSPs).First,pull-out tests were conducted to evaluate the anchoring performance of the connector in concrete after exposure to different temperatures.Thereafter,direct shear tests were conducted to investigate the shear performance of the connector.After the test on the individual performance of the connector,five façade PCSP specimens with the bar-type BFRP connector were fabricated,and the out-of-plane flexural performance was tested under a uniformly distributed load.The investigating parameters included the panel length,opening condition,and boundary condition.The results obtained in this study primarily indicated that 1)the bar-type BFRP connector can achieve a reliable anchorage system in concrete;2)the bar-type BFRP connector can offer sufficient stiffness and capacity to achieve a partially composite PCSP;3)the boundary condition of the panel considerably influenced the out-of-plane flexural performance and composite action of the investigated façade PCSP.